In Third Girl, a Witty & Fastidious Poirot is Back: PBS Masterpiece Mystery!

Third Girl is the second installment of Season X of Hercule Poirot on PBS Masterpiece Mystery! Unlike his dark and edgy stint on Murder on the Orient Express, David Suchet relaxes a bit in this production, once again showing the fastidious side of Poirot and reintroducing some of the dark humor for which Dame Agatha was well known. Case in point, Ariadne Oliver, the author/sleuth who was wont to “help” Poirot. As played by Zoë Wanamaker, the character is delightful.

Zoë Wannamaker and David Suchet

Jemima Rooper plays heiress Norma Restarick, the third girl who shares an apartment with Claudia, the first girl, and Frances, the second girl. These two beautiful women share a confidence about their beauty and themselves that Norma does not possess. Haunted by her mother’s death, Norma fears for her sanity when she thinks she has murdered her former nanny.

It was nice to see Ms. Rooper team up again with Tom Mison, who in this production played David Baker, the young artist who was commissioned to paint a portrait and whose eyes light up every time he sees Norma. Both Jemima and Tom portrayed roles in Lost in Austen, Tom a very likable Mr. Bingley and Jemima a befuddled Amanda Price, who steps back in time to exchange places with Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice.

David Suchet as the incomparable Hercule Poirot

Watching Third Girl I was happy that no commercials would interrupt the flow of the story. Still, it had so many plot twists and elements going in various directions, that I felt the production would have benefited from an additional half hour to flesh out the story line and characters. Nevertheless, it is good to see Suchet back in old familiar form. If you missed this episode, you can watch it online for a week at this link through August 1.

12 Responses

Totally agree with you this was David Suchet back playing Poriot in the more familiar way. Having read “Third Girl” I found the twists great fun! The Costumes and Scenery were wonderful as well as the lines…but I particularly like the interplay between Mrs. Oliver and Poriot. He looks so pained at times with her and the way She blurts things out!

It wasn’t bad, but I was a bit thrown by some of the costume designs and hairstyles. This story was supposed to be set in the 1930s? It seemed as if I couldn’t tell whether this was a 30s tale or 1950s tale. Which is odd, considering that the original story was written and published in the 1960s. Swinging London played a big role in Christie’s novel.

Overall I really enjoyed this film. I’m looking forward to the DVD to see any scenes that were cut (I’ve yet to find a Masterpiece presentation where the DVD doesn’t include about 10 minutes of edited footage). It was great to see the mini-Lost in Austen “reunion” as well!

I thoroughly enjoyed “The Third Girl.” I love Zoe’s portrayal of Ariadne Oliver almost as much at David Suchet’s Poirot. However, I was confused by the way in which “Murder on the Orient Express” ended, although I liked it too.
Because I enjoyed Albert Finney’s Poirot in the movie of the same name, it blew my mind that one of the characters and not Poirot explained what happened to Ratchet and why. So, I was forced to conclude that perhaps the PBS production was closer to the novel (I’m sorry to say that “Murder” is one Agatha Christie I have not read).
And so I was left to wonder IF Poirot turned in the guilty passengers to the police and finally concluded he had not. Because he hadn’t followed ‘the rule of law’, it really seemed to trouble his conscience.

Was anyone else unclear what Poirot actually did at the end of the PBS production?

I liked “The Third Girl” a lot, much more than some other “Poirot’s”. The only thing I didn’t like was the fact that they gave it a modern touch.
I like Mr. Suchet’s protrayal of Poirot, I think he is exactly as I imagined him. And I like Zoë Wanamaker’s Ariadne Oliver.

One thing I couldn’t get…
When Norma arrives the party after the police had released her she cannot regocnize her “father” ie. fraud. But in the beginning of the film it IS this fraud father to whom Norma tells about her fears. Why she didn’t see through him then?
Or have I missed something??

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